Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Jan.s: Mose...As I understand it, you're resident with your family in Santa Fe...but where did your musical journey begin?

Mose: Born
in south Alabama on Dec. 31, 1949. My first musical memories were, my
mother singing to me, and being dragged to the southern Baptist Church,
where the white folks were were trying to sing "black" and they didn't
even realize it. I didn't realize it either , at such an "innocent" age.

Jan.s: When did you begin playing?

Mose: It wasn't till my first band ,at age 15, did I acknowledge The Blue
Eyed Soul Brother in me. All those folk songs my Mama used to sing me to
sleep with, all had black roots. The "real" gospel singers were in the
black churches. And here I was singing, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett,
Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge, and don't forget James Brown.

Jan.s: What was the name of that band...what was the lineup...where were you gigging?

Mose: One
band was named "Sound of Six", another was"Brand X". My Brother Randy,
played guitar. Mike Sisson on drums, Bill Moore-Bass, Bubba Carl
Phillips- guitar, And the late Jimmy Edwards on keyboard. We played at
local high schools and drunken, college fraternity parties. This was
1965-66. We were a real "Garage Band". We drifted from R&B to
playing the "hip" west coast sound. Slightly psychedelic.

The reality of
the uptight south made me flee at the age of 17. To much fear and
loathing of different races, creeds, religions. All I could do was play
guitar and I needed to do something with my life ,so I became a
songwriter,lived in San Fransisco, played there and Northern California
in small listening clubs and coffee houses.

Jan.s: Tell us about your jewellery making ...the stones you use...and the designs?

Mose: OOOKAY,
San Francisco was great for music. Music everywhere. But moving on was
in the plan and I found myself living in a ghost town in Arizona, on
probation for
bank robbery.(search Mose McCormack hard enough and you'll find the
dirty truth) My probation officer said he didn't like me playing guitar
in bars and such. Had to get a real job. So I asked a friend to show me a
couple of things on making jewelry. I'd hang
out with the Hopi and Navajo jewelers, learning traditional styles and
methods.

I fell in love with Turquoise. I grind/shape all my settings.

Onward... I
heard all about Santa Fe and how it was the
third largest art market in the world. Great place to be a starving
artist. When I was released from my probation, I moved to New Mexico.

Friday, January 20, 2012

I've just returned from a stay on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, (NSW) ...

This vast coastline & its inlets have always been a haven for surfers, musicians and visual artists ..

At present it seems to be overflowing with them...with brilliant photographers, fashion creatives and home designers opening stores which often combine cafes & flower stalls in glorious waterfront restaurants...

With the Year of the Dragon now underway ...here's to celebrating the world of the creatives who ride the waves of change! Those who dive into the realms of water where the aspect of Benten and the great Naga, serpentine energies lay ready to be awakened...

Here's to seeking & finding then riding those powerful energies of change ...to witness the Dragon and to respect it's powerful nature rather than fight or try to tame it...

Below is a most gorgeous image of Benten...link at end of post::

'WHO IS BENZAITEN. Female. A river goddess in Indian mythology.
Her Sanskrit name "Sarasvatī" means "flowing water" and thus she
represents everything that flows (e.g., music, words, speech,
eloquence). Later adopted into the Buddhist and then Shinto pantheons of
Japan. One of Japan's Seven Lucky Gods. Comes in two main forms: (1)
with two arms holding a lute; (2) with eight arms holding martial
implements to indicate her role as protector against disaster; this
version is called Happi Benzaiten. In less-common forms she is depicted
naked or as Uga Benzaiten (esoteric form). Her messenger is the snake,
so she is sometimes shown mounted on a serpent or dragon. Goddess of
Learning, Eloquence, Music, Poetry, Speech, Rhetoric, Wealth, Longevity;
Protects against natural disaster; Inventor of Sanskrit; River Goddess'.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Jan.s: John, would you tell us about your recent climb on Mt Cho Oyu?
John:
Cho Oyo is the sixth highest mountain in the world, and is approached
from the Tibet side. Base Camp is near a mountain pass called the Nangpa
La, which
has been used as a trading route between Nepal and Tibet for centuries
by the local people. The climb is not technical but the standard route
is long and cold, and once you get above 7000 meters you realize what a
huge mountain Cho Oyo really is.

Unfortunately
I was not travelling strong enough this trip to go beyond camp 2 at 7100
meters, but some members of my team pushed up to around 7700 meters. We
always have a puja at base camp and bless each other and our equipment
before climbing the mountain, our Nepalese
Sherpa’s will not set foot on the mountain without this taking place. No
one on my expedition summited this year, despite the best puja ever.
Snow conditions were bad this climbing season, in that there was a lot
of it, which made sections of the mountain avalanche
prone and therefore very dangerous.

Jan.s: On the plains in Tibet you visited some villages....can you share some of your experience...

To
cross the Nepal\Tibet border at Kodari, you must walk across
the friendship bridge to the town of Zangmu and there pass through
“Chinese” immigration control . Zangmu is a typically ugly border town,
lots of concrete, there is an air of oppression which is tangible. After
leaving Zangmu you climb relatively quickly to
the vast brown Tibetan plateau. Initially there are more concrete towns,
Nylam , (pronounced Neel am), but eventually there are small Tibetan
settlements which can be seen in the distance and the last town before
leaving the main road for the track to Cho
Oyo is Tingri.

Tingri has a wild west feel about it, the local Tibetan
people are shy compared to Nepal and often don’t like to have their
picture taken. Maybe if I was approached by some rough looking, hairy,
western mountaineers – I wouldn’t let them take
my picture either. There are few amenities in Tingri and local life is
hard, but like all of Tibet it is changing.

The Chinese are making
massive investments in roads and bridges, I suppose there are both good
and bad aspects of this development. Some local
Tibetans followed us to base camp, in the hope of selling their wares.
Local people are very colourful, with bright red cloth in their hair,
and ornaments of yak bone. The women ware large silver belts, both sexes
ware their hair long and usually braided in
some fashion. There is a wildness about them. If you could bottle it I
would drink some.